Given its history of weak state structures in ever-changing relationships with tight-knit tribal and ethnic societies, Afghanistan would be far better served by a more inclusive parliamentary system of government. This would mean a ceremonial rather than an executive president, a prime minister and other cabinet members drawn from the upper and lower houses of Parliament, and stronger local and regional governments that would make ordinary Afghans feel connected to the political system.
Former U.N. advisers to Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and Clare Lockhart discusses their latest book, “Fixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding our Fractured World.”
In the talk:
In Fixing Failed States, the authors describe the effort to save failed states–vividly and convincingly–offering an on-the-ground picture of why past efforts have not worked and advancing a groundbreaking new solution to this most pressing of global crises. Military force, while certainly necessary on occasion, cannot solve the fundamental problems, and humanitarian interventions cost billions yet do not leave capable states in their wake. Ghani and Lockhart argue that only an integrated state-building approach can heal these failing countries. As they explain, many of these countries already have the resources they need, if only we knew how to connect them to global knowledge and put them to work in the right way. Their state-building strategy, which assigns responsibility equally among the international community, national leaders, and citizens, maps out a clear path to political and economic stability.
The bio of the speakers:
Ashraf Ghani played a central role in the design and implementation of the post-Taliban settlement in Afghanistan, serving as UN adviser to the Bonn process and as Finance Minister during Afghanistan’s Transitional Administration. He has worked at the World Bank and taught at Johns Hopkins and Berkeley universities. He has been nominated for the job of Secretary General of the United Nations and considered for the job of President of the World Bank. He chairs the Institute for State Effectiveness.
Clare Lockhart is Director for the Institute for State Effectiveness. She has worked for the World Bank, the United Nations and advised the Government of Afghanistan government in Kabul on its strategy and programs from 2002 to 2005. She advises countries and international organizations on state-building and has written widely on the topic.
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